AUSTIN - House members got into the spirit of toning down suggestive cheerleading Tuesday, rallying behind a bill that could leave Texas cheerleaders shakin' a little less booty next year.

By a 65-56 vote, the House gave preliminary approval to a bill sponsored by Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston, curbing "sexually suggestive" routines by cheerleaders, drill teams or other public school performance groups.

The bill doesn't define the behavior it is trying to prevent or specify punishment.

Edwards, who in past sessions has battled raunchy pop lyrics and advocated cutting off drug dealers' fingers, pledged that Tuesday's vote was just the opening volley in his effort to curb gyrating teenage booty-shakers.

"I've seen it with my own eyes," Edwards said. "I've had people talk to me about it at football games. There was just a feeling that people were waiting for something to be done about it."

Edwards likened the perceived salaciousness of cheerleading routines to risqué television programs and Internet pornography sites. He also suggested that inappropriate cheerleading routines contribute to a social atmosphere that encourages teen pregnancy, poor scholastic performance, criminality and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

"Why allow young girls 12, 13, 18 to be exploited like that?" he said.

Edwards' bill initially called for curtailing funding to offending schools. The punitive aspect of the bill later was dropped in exchange for a milder provision that school district officials take "appropriate action" in such situations.

Critics of the measure maintain that it has no teeth, no sanctions and no effect.

"This is a ridiculous bill. I don't know how it got to the floor," said Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston. "We don't have any business mandating anything. We are spending time on '2-3-4, we can't shake it anymore.' It's an embarrassment."

Rep. Carter Casteel, R-New Braunfels, agreed legislators should not be legislating morality or telling people what to do, but she voted for the bill.

"Sometimes as adults, we should say there are proper ways to behave. It's time we send a message and say we are going to expect certain behavior," she said.

No Senate sponsor yet

The bill does not have a sponsor in the Senate yet, said Edwards, whose legislation has garnered him national attention, including appearances on NBC's Today show and Fox's O'Reilly Factor.

Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, who opposed the bill, said much of the attention has been in the form of jokes at Texas' expense.

Several legislators argued that the issue should be dealt with at the local level, without state involvement.

The bill also generated strongly divergent views in the cheerleading community.

"I think we have bigger problems in the world than to worry about how kids look dancing on the floor," said Kellie Meaux, an employee at Southwest Cheer Academy in Stafford. "They should be more worried about those getting killed in Iraq than my kids shaking their booty. They're not being provocative or promoting sex. These kids are having fun."

Meaux, whose two daughters were middle and high school cheerleaders and performed competitively outside school, said school-related cheerleading exhibitions generally are wholesome entertainment. "In my opinion, speaking as a mom, I think middle school and high school cheerleading is basically just there for the school spirit. If he (Edwards) wants to make a point, he shouldn't be attacking these children, he should hit the competitive-cheerleading scene."

Some 'push envelope'

Such contests, privately sponsored events not connected with schools, are beyond the Legislature's jurisdiction, Edwards noted. And, he argued, some of those events are better regulated than similar performances in public schools. "You can't win a national cheerleading contest if you put those sexual gyrations in it," he said.

Judges in such competitions penalize teams that "do something vulgar or sexually suggestive," said Martha Selman, marketing director for the Garland-based National Cheerleaders Association, which sponsors the annual national contests for high school and non-school-affiliated "all stars" in Dallas.

But, she admitted, the all-star teams "tend to push the envelope."

"The challenge is, you have a lot of kids who cross over, who participate in both fields. When they go back to school, that's what they bring to the table," she said. "We want all all-star and high school performances to be appropriate for family viewing. I think the solution is better education and training for the coaches, so that they highlight their teams' athleticism and not have to rely only on choreographed dance moves. I think that sometimes coaches get caught up in MTV and VH1 — that's entertainment and not cheerleading."

Terri Jaggers, who has coached cheerleaders in area public schools and at her Northwest All-Star Gymnastics on Bingle, applauded Edwards.

"It disturbs me," she said. "There has been a progressive deterioration in morals — dancing and moving. I've watched it in the selection of music and choreography."

Outfits also criticized

At Jaggers' gymnasium, cheerleaders wear athletic slacks and conservative tops. But elsewhere, including schools, the costumes can be as provocative as the routines.

"At most schools, they're wearing tops that stop just above the navel — the all-stars are higher," she said. "All the skirts have slits, some up the side, some not so prominent, some that are little panels that come up when they jump, tumble and move. Sometimes, they have high school logos on their briefs, and part of the show is lifting their skirts to show the logo."

Jaggers, mother to five adopted children and almost two dozen foster children, suggested the problem arises from commercially or college-trained coaches who teach provocative routines to adolescent girls. "MTV and music video are a huge attraction in dance for young people," she said. "The days of ballet and tap are over."